[Archived] Levelling The Playing Field

[Amo]

Is there any conceivable way to breach the inequity between the titular "Top Four" and the rest of the also-rans? Or is it simply a pipe-dream within our capitalist society?

[jonv]

If Blackburn was one of the teams in the top 4, would you ask for the same thing? Maybe every game can start with a handicap of 2-0 to the lower ranked league team

[ABBEY]

did you ask the same question when had millions to spend topman?

[thenodrog]

Is there any conceivable way to breach the inequity between the titular "Top Four" and the rest of the also-rans? Or is it simply a pipe-dream within our capitalist society?

Ask Man City for the answer. I've a feeling that Lpool might be also rans pretty soon.

[RibbleValleyRover]

Wage Cap or a draft style of system as seen in the NFL.

These options if done right would generate some parity, though the financial rewards from being in the Champions league will continue to provide an advantage to the top four sides.

[ABBEY]

how could a draft be done? where would the youngsters come from ? who would get 1st pick? we have 90ish teams.who would pay the wages of a #1 pick?

[Amo]

If Blackburn was one of the teams in the top 4, would you ask for the same thing? Maybe every game can start with a handicap of 2-0 to the lower ranked league team

This isn't about Rovers being in the top four, it's about making the league a competitive arena and not pandering to the same clubs ad nauseam.

In Holland last year, AZ Alkmaar were the first team in almost 30 years to win the league title outside the Big Three. And I believe they didn't spend a king's ransom to do it. Could you honestly see that happening in our game?

[Kelbo]

One way some parity could be brought in to the game is by reverting back to shared gates!!

The clubs with less support would benefit by thousands when playing Arsenal, Man U, Everton, Liverpool etc

I am sure that could be done without too much of a problem!

[Gamst]

The Premierleague and F.A are far too scared of the top four to impose a salary cap. The fear being that all the top players would move overseas where the wages would not be capped. Frankly, as a real football fan, I couldnt care less if the players that were just in England for money left! At least our top flight would be slightly competitive. It is becoming more like the SPL every day and the armchair United fans love it. Has anyone noticed how many matches on sky or ESPN this year have involved one of the top 4 or Man city? From my recollection, there have only been a handful of games that have not involved a top 4 team. For a Rovers fan, it is especially dissapointing that when we are shown it is invariably against a top 4 team and we get mullered. This is just boring and plays into the hands of the glory fans that just love watching their team annihilate a poor opponent. So for youngsters growing up and people overseas, they will watch these matches and support the big four and forget about our existence, thusly, widening the gulf between them and the rest. Im also a rugby league fan and the super league is a really exciting league (it would help if they had relegation). They impose salary caps on their members and each year any team can compete for honours. The other alternatie of course is to chuck the glory boys into their own little super duper euro super awesome league and English football may just be a spectacle for non glory supporters again. In fact, it would be a win win situation, as sky would have grand slam sunday's every week and we could compete!

[Kelbo]

The Premierleague and F.A are far too scared of the top four to impose a salary cap. The fear being that all the top players would move overseas where the wages would not be capped. Frankly, as a real football fan, I couldnt care less if the players that were just in England for money left! At least our top flight would be slightly competitive. It is becoming more like the SPL every day and the armchair United fans love it. Has anyone noticed how many matches on sky or ESPN this year have involved one of the top 4 or Man city? From my recollection, there have only been a handful of games that have not involved a top 4 team. For a Rovers fan, it is especially dissapointing that when we are shown it is invariably against a top 4 team and we get mullered. This is just boring and plays into the hands of the glory fans that just love watching their team annihilate a poor opponent. So for youngsters growing up and people overseas, they will watch these matches and support the big four and forget about our existence, thusly, widening the gulf between them and the rest. Im also a rugby league fan and the super league is a really exciting league (it would help if they had relegation). They impose salary caps on their members and each year any team can compete for honours. The other alternatie of course is to chuck the glory boys into their own little super duper euro super awesome league and English football may just be a spectacle for non glory supporters again. In fact, it would be a win win situation, as sky would have grand slam sunday's every week and we could compete!

Top Post, agree 100%

[tashor]

Is there any conceivable way to breach the inequity between the titular "Top Four" and the rest of the also-rans?

This was obvious many years ago.......

Easy - only allow teams to be in one league. European "Champions" league OR Premier League in England. Not Both.........

The income and prestige of European League football allows the top four to attract most if not all of the top players and to ensure that they finish top four here hence qualify for the European League etc. etc. ........and on...and on......

The wealth of the Premiership allows our European sides to dominate across the channel......

How many of you will miss such entertaining fixtures as Chelseurope/Man Euronited/Arseurope Away

Yes, we will be poorer BUT playing alongside others in the same position........

Could it really be worse than what we have now ??

Discuss...........

[thenodrog]

Could it really be worse than what we have now ??

Discuss...........

Just.... we could be playing in Scotland.

[thenodrog]

The best way to proceed is for all supporters of clubs out of the big 4 to simply boycott their grounds.

[Gamst]

The best way to proceed is for all supporters of clubs out of the big 4 to simply boycott their grounds.

Im not entirely sure anyone would notice/care. Over the last couple of years several clubs have gone into administration and the vast majority of football 'followers' have probably never even heard of them. I doubt many united fans are aware of the impending collapse of Southend United. I suppose one of the main reasons for this is that kids in Southend and Luton choose to support big teams and dont go to matches. The sad truth is that we make up such a small amount of the potential revenue for sky and the premierleague that us having no fans in the ground and going bust would be a drop in the ocean.

[Hasta]

Despite the fact that it will only prove that money will but success, I would still really love City to make the top 4 and displace one of the existing ratpack. If Villa managed to do it that would be even better. Can't bring myself to feel the same for 'Arry and Tottenham though.

[Mr. E]

It cannot simply be the FA that does it. It needs to be FIFA and UEFA and they need to change the entire face of club football. How it can be done? Massive protests and boycotts until they realize that without the fans there is no one to fill their pockets.

But I don't think the will and determination exists in most people for this type of thing...

[MeanGreenMachine]

Simple, restructure the amount of money teams get given for league places. If man united win the league and did so last season why will receive a much lower reward than say if hull finished 10th who just managed to stay up. The finer details have yet to be worked out but finacial rewards based on improvement.

[Rover Down Under]

did you ask the same question when had millions to spend topman?

The situation then and now isn't comparable. The Rovers '95 team cost less than 20m and most of the other teams were spending similar amounts and their squads were in the 5-20m bracket as well. Nowadays we have a few teams worth HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS and everyone else in the 15-40m bracket. The Big Four all have at least one player who cost more than the entire squads of some of the smaller teams. They also have a monopoly on ALL the best players. 15 years ago the best players were spread out amongst more than a few teams.

The gap is unfeasibly massive and will continue to grow.

A boycott of Big 4 clubs (which I've advocated before) won't force them to go under but will send a clear message to the FA, UEFA and the World that we are sick and tired of the inequality. How embarassing will it be for the Big Four to have an entire stand empty?

I suppose at the end of the day the entire league is just a reflection of the class system. A small, very rich elite at the top, a middle class that longs to join the elite but will never be able to, and an underclass of yo-yo-ing teams.

The problem will only be dealt with after action from the fans, the FA will do FA and the elite will do everything they can to protect themselves.

[Kelbo]

It cannot simply be the FA that does it. It needs to be FIFA and UEFA and they need to change the entire face of club football. How it can be done? Massive protests and boycotts until they realize that without the fans there is no one to fill their pockets.

But I don't think the will and determination exists in most people for this type of thing...

In reality, FIFA and UEFA together have contributed to the ruination of OUR game we brought to the world

Silly rules, no tackling anymore and too many Internationals and European games, so for me, those two

should bugger off, we dont want or need them!!

[roversmum]

It wouldn't happen, though, Rover Down Under. If the tickets weren't sold they would simply sell them to the home fans (the clubs would ask for the unsold tickets to be returned as they often do anyway) and wouldn't even notice that we were not there

[philipl]

Sure money creates enormous imbalances, sure the game's administrators are tolerant of some pretty nonsensical situations which big clubs are able to operate to their advantage and sure, the PL has become more predictable even though the Big 4 will probably cease to be such by the season end if one or more of City, Villa and Spurs can hold their nerve firmly enough to push Liverpool down the notches.

But it is still XI v XI at any time on the park and there are enough talented players out there that Prem clubs paying an average of over £1m a year should be able to assemble 18s good enough to stop the walk overs that are happening all too often.

Why is it not so?

Because the refs are biased- that's why.

They as good as admitted systematic bias when the threat was made that Ferguson would no longer got favourable treatment from refs at OT after his rant against Wiley.

Jeff Winter was no angel and even though his League of Injustice shows the Big 4 in the top 4 places last week-end . Liverpool of course benefitting from not conceding the beachball goal whilst Rovers fairly leap up the table.

Take it a step further and if instead of favouring the Big 4, refereeing bias was actually against the Big 4, they'd still be top but the table would be a whole lot more competitive than it is now.

This is something that can be sorted by simple agreement between the FA, PL and refs without involving UEFA and FIFA and be implemented immediately.

[chocky]

This isn't about Rovers being in the top four, it's about making the league a competitive arena and not pandering to the same clubs ad nauseam.

In Holland last year, AZ Alkmaar were the first team in almost 30 years to win the league title outside the Big Three. And I believe they didn't spend a king's ransom to do it. Could you honestly see that happening in our game?

The premiership is qa much bigger league...In the end would we complain if we had a mega rich sugar daddy...Oh we did once..In the end without Jack's money where would we be today??...Leave alone..

[Beta Ray Bill]

Although there's not a cat in hells chance it'd ever happen, I would like to see a 1% 'tax' on all 92 clubs gate receipts going to the FA.

They in turn redistribute the 100% gathered in back as 1% to each club in 92 equal measures, with the remaining 8% going to grassroots football (less a few quid for expenses and admin).

I'd reckon there'd probably be 70+ clear gains, maybe a dozen more or less even, and just the megarich with huge gates and/or overinflated gate prices losing out.

It cannot be right that clubs are on the brink of extinction for the sake of 1 premiership player's wages for a fortnight or about 1/4 of the gate receipts of a single Chelsea match.

[nick123]

The NFL has the answer for the future of football....its called wage caps and the draft system...?

[Steve Moss]

Because the refs are biased- that's why.

Amen. I can't believe some of the calls I see when the Rovers play. AYSO U10 referees would do a fairer job.